Fertilizer-distributer.



No. 821,485. PATENTED MAY 22, 1906. F. A. HAMILTON & W. A. LINKER.

FBRTILIZER DISTRIBUTER.

APPLIGATION FILED 00T.2, 1905.

Witnesses Attorneys n Inventors mnnzw a. al1/.nm ce. mmommncnmisns wasumarnw. n c

UNITED sfrarns PATENT OFFICE.

FRED A. HAMILTON AND WILLIAM A. LINKER, OF ARLINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 22, 1906.

Application led October 2, 1905. Serial No. 280,489-

10 all whom t may concern.-

Be it known that we, FRED A. HAMILTON and WILLIAM A. LINKER, citizens of the United States, residing at Arlington, in the county of Mecklenburg and State of North Carolina, have invented a new and useful Fertilizer-Distributer, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to fertilizer-distributers, and among the objects of the invention are to simplify and im rove the construction and operation of t 's class of devices.

' Other objects of the invention are to rovide improved means for supporting an adjusting the hopper or box containing the fertilizer material, to improve the construction of the feed mechanism and the cut-0H, and to facilitate the operation and manipulation of the parts.

With these and other ends in view, which will readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the improved construction and novel arrangement and combination of parts, which will be hereinafter fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings has been illustrated a simple and preferred form of the invention, it being, however, understood that no limitation is necessarily made to the precise structural details therein exhibited, but that changes, alterations, and modications within the scope of the invention may be made when desired. v

In the drawings, Figure l is a side elevation, partly in section, of afertiliZer-distributer constructed in accordance with the principles of the invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional front elevation enlarged. Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view taken on the plane indicated by the line 3 3 in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a detail view of the adjusting-lever. Fig. 5 is a sectional detail view taken on the line 5 5 in Fig. 2, and Fig. 6 is a sectional detailview taken on the line 6 6 in Fig. 1.

Corresponding parts in the several figures are indicated throughout by similar characters of reference.

I Pivotally mounted upon a beam 1 is a standard 2, carrying afurrow-opener 3, which is connected by a link or brace 4,` with the lower end of the hand-lever 5 pivotally. mounted upon the rear end of the beam and having a stop member 6 engaging a segmentrack 7, which latter is secured upon the upper side of the beam. By manipulating the hand-lever 5 the standard may be placed at various angles with relation to the beam, as will be readily understood.

Upon the beam 1, spaced from the front end of the latter, are a pair of clips 8 8, the inner side members of which, 9 9, are extended lat- 10 10, each provided with a plurality of perforations 11 for the reception of a fastening member, such as a bolt 12, having a thumbnut 13. A box or hopper 14 is placed between the front and rear brackets and is secured by means of the fasteninCr members 12, engaging the front and rear walls of the box, which latter may be secured at various distances from the beam by simply adjusting the fastening member 12 in the perforations 11. The clips 8 S being adjustable upon the beam, it is evident that the bracket members 10 10 may be placed in direct contact with the front and rear sides of the box without regard to the length of the latter.

' The box or hopper 14 is provided with a bottom compartment 15, adjacent to which is an inclined deflector 16, connected with the inner side member 17 of the box, the contents of which latter is thus guided in the direction of the bottom compartment 15, which is located adjacent the outer side member 18. The inner side member of the box, whereby is meant that which is adjacent to the beam 1, is provided with a depending bracket 19, affording a bearing for one end of a shaft 20, the opposite end of which is journaled in the outer side member of the box, being suitably extended beyond the latter for the reception of a carrying-wheel 21, which is secured upon said shaft. The shaft or axle 20 extends transversely through the compartment 15 of the box, and upon said shaft between the sides of the compartment 15 is loosely mounted a Ihub or sleeve 22, having a plurality of radially-extending spirallydisposed agitator-blades 23, which serve to agitate the contents of the box and to propel the material contained in said box in the direc-tion of a slot or escape-opening 24 in the bottom of the compartment 15. The inner end of the sleeve 22 is formed with a clutch member 25, adapted for engagement with a clutch member 26, which is formed upon a erally and quarter-twisted to form brackets sleeve 27 the latter being slidably supported upon the inner end of the shaft 20, which latter is of non-circular cross-section to cause the sleeve 27 to rotate therewith. The sleeve 27 is normally forced in the direction of the sleeve 22 by the action of a fiat spring 28, the upper end of which is secured between the box 14 and the bracket member 19 and the lower end of which is bifurcated to straddle the axle, as will be best seen in Fig. l of the drawings.

Upona stay 29,Which connects the bracket 19 with the box 14, is pivoted a shippinglever 30, having a bifurcated end engaging a groove 3l in the sleeve 27 The rear end of the shipping-lever has a lateral extension which is connected with one end of a connectingfrod 32, the opposite end of which is pivn otally connected with an adjusting-lever 33, pivoted upon one of the handles 34 with which the device is provided. The adjusting-lever has a tooth or lug 35, engaging a suitably-supported ratchet member 36,where by said lever and the parts related therewith may be secured at various adjustments, said lever being possessed of sufficient resiliency to retain it in adjusted position. The connecting-rod 32 is preferably composed of two parts or members, as 37 38, one of which, 37, is provided with a socket 39 for the reception of the member 38, w lch may be secured adjustably in said socket by means of a setscrew 40, thus enabling the length of the connecting-rod to be varied.

The bottom of the compartment 15 of the box or hopper is provided with transverse guide-flanges 4l, between which is fitted a slide 42, having a slot 43, adapted to be placed in registry with the slot 24 in the bottom of the box. The slide 42 has a depending lu 44, with which is adjustably connected the lower part of an L-shaped bracket member 45, the latter having a slot 46 for the passage of a fastening member 47, whereby said bracket member is connected with the depending lug of the slide. rlhe vertical vportion'of the bracket member 45 is bifurcated and engages an annular groove 48 in the sleeve 27. It will be seen that when the latter is adjusted to place it in or out of engagement with the sleeve 22 the slide 42 will be simultaneously adjusted also, that when the clutch members of the sleeves 22 and 27 are thrown into engagement the slots 24 and 43 will be brought into registry with each other, while when the clutch members of the sleeves are disengaged the slide 42 will be moved to a position where it forms a closure for the slot 24. Again, owing to the adjustment of the slide 42 with relation to the sleeve 27, the sides of the escape-opening formed by the slots 24 and 43 may be regulated, as will be readily understood, to admit of the escape of varying quantities of fertilizing material.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the drawings hereto lannexed, the operation and `advantages of this invention will be readily understood by those skilled in the art to which it appertains. When the machine progresses, the shaft or axle 20 will be rotated by and with the wheel 2l. l/Vhile the machine is traveling from one place to another the clutch members of the sleeves 22 and 27 will be disconnected by moving the latter sleeve away from the former by means of the shipping-lever 30 and related mechanism. When it is desired to drop fertilizing material, the clutch members of the sleeves are thrown into engagement with each other, thus simultaneously placing the escape-openings 24 and 43 in registry, so as to permit the contents of the hopper which is being stirred by the agitators 23 to escape, the quantity of material permitted to escape being regulated by the position of the slide 42 with relation to the sleeve 27. The plow which follows in rear of the hopper will turn a slice of sod over the fertilizing material and by passing over the ground again, with the dropping material thrown out of gear and with the plow-carrying standard adjusted at a greater pitch, a second slice may be turned, if desired.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is l. A beam, clips upon said beam having side members extended laterally and quartertwisted to form brackets, a hopper supported adjustably between said brackets adjacent to the beam, a bracket depending from the side of the box adj acent to the beam, a bottom compartment in the hopper, a shaft journaled in the depending bracket and in the outer side of the hopper and extending through the bottom compartment of the latter, and a carrying-wheel upon the outer end of said shaft.

2. A hopper having a bottom compartment and an inclined defiector, a bracket depending from the inner side member of the hopper adjacent to the deiiector, a shaft having a bearing in said bracket and extending through the bottom compartment of the hopper, a sleeve supported for rotation upon the shaft within the bottom compartment and having radial agitators and a clutch member at one end, a clutch-sleeve slidably supported upon a non-circular portion of the shaft and adapted to engage the agitator-sleeve, and means for adjusting the clutch-sleeve and for retaining it at various adjustments.

3. A hopper having a bottom compartment adjacent to one side thereof, a driven shaft extending through said bottom compartment, an agitator-sleeve supported for rotation upon the shaft within the bottom compartment and having a vclutch member at one end, a clutch-sleeve supported slidingly upon a non-circular portion of the shaft, a

IIO

ISO

slide supported adjacent to the under side of the bottom compartment and having a slot adapted to register With an escape-slot in the bottom oom artment, and means for oonneoting the s ide With the clntoh-sleeve- 4. A hopper, a transverse driven shaft in said hopper, an agitator-sleeve supported for rotation upon the shaft Within the hopper and having a Clutch member at one end, a clutchsleeve slidable u on a non-circular portion of the shaft, abra@ ret having a bifuroated mem-V ber engaging an annular groove in the olutohsleeve, a slide supported adjacent to the 'bottom of the hopper and having a slot adapted to tures in the presence of two Witnesses.

FRED A. HAMLTON. WILLIAM A. LINKER.

Witnesses:

MORRISON S. BARR, JAMES F. BARR. 

